Demons rising
by scarface101
Summary: What would happen if Kushina had survived the Kyuubi attack? What if before the Wave mission she managed to speak to him just once? And what if she granted him a power that could rock the Elemental Nations to the core? Naruto x harem. Slight multixover later. Warning: Some bashing. (You have been fairly warned.) (Up for adoption)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Another new fic I came up with. Hope you enjoy. And I apologize for the delay in updates, I have been busy with my job and life in general. On a side note, I have access to a laptop which should help smooth out some of my writing.**

 **Chapter one: Prologue.**

Somewhere in Konoha, in a room reminiscent of a morgue was the unconscious form of a man with pink hair, he was currently slumped over in a chair with his wrists and legs kept in place by the shackles. He snapped awake and gasped, inhaling the musty and stale air. Cursing loudly he struggled against the shackles for a few moments.

Realizing that was fruitless he took in his surroundings, noting the morgue like room, and the numerous body bags sticking out of all the containers... the bags all seemed to be occupied as well. He felt an unfamiliar weight on his chest and looked down and saw a strange device on his chest, lashed together with chains across his body which was locked in by three padlocks that required a key.

If he had to take an educated guess... it was obviously some kind of bomb. What was the point of all this? Kidnapping and ransom? One of his rivals in the Civilian Council? A political assassination by a foreign power? Whatever this was... someone went to a bit of trouble for all of this.

In front of him, a television came on with a small click followed by the picture of a figure, sitting in the shadows to obscure their identity. Then a synthesized voice began to speak through the television's speakers "Hello Kiizashi. I want to play a game. You were once a decorated Shinobi, but after the Shinobi war, you quit that life and married Mebuki. You had a child with her, a happy married life, the perfect life. Then you joined the Civilian council, became the head of it and gained one of the most prestigious jobs in Konoha.

However, in recent years, you have become quite greedy and have forsaken the good things in your life. You no longer try to satisfy your wife, you have constantly told your daughter to worry more about marrying Sasuke Uchiha than her career as a Kunoichi, and you have stolen and embezzled large amounts of money for your own private usage. And what have you spent it on? Prostitutes and dirty dealings with drug traders, and Danzo Shimura, the leader of the allegedly defunct ROOT.

Now, it is up to you to decide which is more important to you, your ill-earned money or living to see your family again. The game is simple, you must locate three keys to unlock the bomb on your chest to be safely discarded into one of the body compartments, you have only two minutes to do so. However, you can buy time for yourself. Quite literally. You can use the device on top of the television to purchase ten, thirty, or sixty seconds of time. But be warned, the price is rather high. Ten seconds will cost you one hundred thousand, thirty seconds will be three hundred thousand, and sixty seconds will be, as you may guess, six hundred thousand.

Live or die Kizashi. The choice is yours. As for the location of the keys... you're in a morgue. So take a guess. The clock starts now." With that the television seemed to turn itself off but blinked back on to show a timer that began to slowly count down, and the shackles keeping the former Shinobi in place clicked open, allowing him to leap up from his seat and dash towards the body bags.

Wasting no time, he quickly unzipped on and found that a scalpel was taped to the chest area, guess whoever kidnapped him did have a sense of fair play. He snatched off the scalpel and cut open the stomach region, to start his frantic search. He dug around in the cadavers innards, his survival instincts currently overwriting his disgust as he rummaged through the intestines. His fingers brushed against something solid making him grab at the foreign object.

When he fished it out from the cadaver, it seemed to be a small and black pill bottle. He popped it open and a slip of paper fell into his palm which read 'Ice cold. Try again.' Kizashi growled as he tossed the paper aside and unzipped a new body bag, with a fresh scalpel waiting for him as he repeated the process of dissecting the corpse for a key.

He looked at the timer on the television screen and saw he had fifty-seven seconds left, he swallowed hard and doubled his efforts since he now knew what to look for. At last he found another bottle and opened it, revealing another note that read out 'Much warmer. So close!' Roaring in fury he tossed it aside and checked the timer again, he only had fifteen seconds left.

He bit his lip and knew that his only chance would be to keep buying a whole minute's worth of time to keep checking the body's but that would suck his funds bone dry! His few seconds of hesitation cost him dearly as he now had only seven seconds remaining, yelling in horror he ran towards the designated device with an outstretched hand, hoping to push a button, any button for more time... but in his panic he accidentally knocked the device to the floor, causing it to break apart.

His psyche shatter as he realized his blunder... that brief moment of greed and indecision... had ultimately doomed him. He looked down and saw the timer count down from three, to two, to one, he clenched his eyes shut tight in fear and the last thing he heard was a loud explosion.

 **Two days later.**

In a darkened underground cell sat a lonely figure at a small table. The sounds of slurping could be heard as the occupant ate a bowl of ramen. In contrast to a usual isolated cell, this one was quite lavish and spacious, while the cell was made of glass it was reinforced heavily with numerous seals to keep the prisoner from escaping.

The sounds of footsteps approached and the door to the glass cell was opened. "Welcome. Please, have a seat. I was just enjoying some lunch." The prisoner spoke in a tone of politeness, but it carried an undertone of sarcasm and venom in it. The visitor in question stepped into view revealing it to be the Sandaime Hokage himself. Glaring down at the inmate with a steely gaze while his hands carried a folder of some kind.

"What's that you have there?" The inmate questioned in a tone of curiosity. Hiruzen slid the folder over and opened it, revealing pictures of the mangled form of Kizashi Haruno with his chest cavity blown wide open.

The prisoner smiled while casually slurping up some ramen and replied in a jovial voice "Not really into Snuff porn, but I think I might still masturbate to this." at this statement the Sandaime visibly cringed in disgust at how delighted the inmate was at Kizashi's death and at the part about pleasuring themselves about it.

"You're as vile as ever. But this isn't just about Kizashi's death. Its about this." He pointed to a photo which was a closeup of Kizashi's neck... revealing a distinctive brand in the form of a swirl mark had been burnt into his flesh. Hiruzen narrowed his eyes as he continued to speak "This particular brand has appeared several times... most prominently during a certain Kunoichi's reign of terror borne from psychological warfare and guerrilla tactics that halted eighteen enemy advances on Konoha.

This Kunoichi would scalp her victims, force them to drink bleach, castrate them, skin them alive, force them to march through minefields, and many other barbaric acts. The few who survived... all bore this particular mark. Your mark... Kushina Uzumaki."

the crimson haired kunoichi smiled broadly in sadistic glee, who violet eyes showing no remorse or pity. "Oh my. Seems I might have a fan." she spoke in a tone of amusement and satisfaction as she slurped up some more ramen, her eyes never leaving Hiruzen's gaze which unnerved him, but he refused to show weakness to this... thing.

"Indeed. And your help is required to capture whoever did this." The Sandaime spoke in a tone of authority, regardless of varying allegations to Kizashi Haruno being corrupt, he was still a Civilian council member, and more importantly, a citizen of Konoha. Someone had to be held responsible for this and face justice.

"Is that a demand or a request? And have you informed the family I wonder?" Kushina asked with a raised eyebrow as she tapped the side of her bowl with her chopsticks.

"Does it matter? You will aid this investigation regardless. As for Kizashi's family, his wife is being informed at this time. His daughter however is about to leave on a mission, she won't be informed just yet since I don't want her mentally debilitated by this news and allow it to affect her performance." The Hokage spoke bitterly, having grown tired of this woman and her sick little games. He knew from the moment she married the late Yondaime that this woman was going to be trouble... but he never anticipated she was a complete sociopath.

"Nah. Don't feel like it. Or maybe I don't want my newest fan to be caught. Here's the thing Hiruzen... you tried very very hard to make the world forget about Uzu, and you have succeeded to a rather significant point. But... Konoha has never forgotten about me. No one has. Whenever the name Kushina 'The Evil' Uzumaki is whispered, the most seasoned of Shinobi pale and cringe in terror, Civilians begin looking over their shoulders and whispering prayers to Kami. Even some children dream of a crimson haired bogeyman haunting the shadows of their bedrooms. And you and your Elders lay in your beds, restless, wondering when the day may come that I will finally escape and burn Konoha to the ground.

That is my legacy as a Kunoichi. And I will not see it end. It's actually rather funny... on that fateful night, after Minato sealed away the Kyuubi... you had your chance to end me. I was there, lying in the grass, holding onto life by a thread with my baby in my hands and a gaping hole in my gut. You could have beheaded me... and that might have been it. But nooooooo, I was, how did you put it? Ah yes, 'too valuable to kill'. When it comes down to it old man, you need me. You need me to find Uzu's secrets and treasures and so much more. You even thought that letting me live in comfort might assuage me and make me more trusting of you... but not once have I ever been allowed a simple visit to see my child. Now, if that were to be rectified... I would consider being much more cooperative." the crimson haired woman spoke in a tone of seriousness and condescension, almost as though she were taunting the Hokage.

"That isn't going to happen. Ever. I won't have a... creature like you corrupting Naruto-kun." Hiruzen spit back angrily as he slammed his hands on the table, outside the cell, the Anbu guards had their hands on their blades in case something were to happen to their Hokage, but slowly relaxed when they noticed that the prisoner didn't even blink an eye... instead she slurped up another mouthful of ramen.

She swallowed then asked in an all too casual manner "Do you love your grandson?" her question caught the Hokage off-guard, his mouth opening and closing but unable to form words. Almost like his tongue had been twisted into a knot or his airpipe had closed off.

Finally he managed to form a legitimate sentence and asked "What do you know about my grandson?" Kushina smirked in amusement as she took a sip of water, her eyes revealing obvious sadistic glee at observing his discomfort.

"Plenty. The guards tend to gossip quite a bit. A little boy with poor camouflage abilities, tends to trip over his oversized blue scarf... has been hanging out with my son recently. A somewhat spoiled child, but a good one that just wants to be recognized as a person and not as a relative of a Hokage. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to little Konohamaru." Kushina spoke with a small smile containing layers of sweetness and venom that made the Sandaime feel a few years of his remaining life span get drained away.

"You... are you threatening my grandson? You wouldn't... YOU WOULDN'T! He's just a little boy! He has done nothing wrong! Are you so cruel that you would harm a child?" Hiruzen cried out in both disbelief and outrage. His every instinct telling him to strangle this woman right now, but he refrained since he knew she would simply overpower him anyway, and likely take him hostage to escape.

"So? What's your point? My son was a little boy who did nothing wrong just as well, and your villagers didn't care. Why should I? Besides, at least now I have your full attention." the Uzumaki replied in an uncaring manner forcing Hiruzen to consider his next response very carefully. If Kushina had some method of communicating with her allies in the outside world, then there was no telling what she might do. Worse yet, she would undoubtedly follow through with her thinly veiled threats.

"What do you want?" He asked, trying to mask his emotions again even though he knew it was already too late... she had already seen through him and he knew it. Now he was simply trying to put on a brave face to save some form of dignity.

"Get me my son. Then we'll talk. I want to meet him someplace public, maybe a nice restaurant or something to make him feel more comfortable. I also want privacy. You Anbu can keep their distance to observe only, but only out of earshot. If I think any Anbu are eavesdropping... well... something unfortunate may happen." She spoke in a blunt manner, signaling that their conversation was now over. Hiruzen slowly backed out so that he may not expose his back to her and exited the cell. When the door shut he turned towards one of his own personal guard, a cat masked Anbu with purple hair named Neko who was undoubtedly one of his best.

"Get Naruto Uzumaki here and hurry. He could leave to Wave country at any moment now. I'll pull a few strings and make the needed arrangements. When you retrieve him, come to the Golden Leaf restaurant." He ordered in a tone of extreme urgency prompting the female Anbu to nod in confirmation.

"Understood. What should I tell him? And what should I tell his sensei Kakashi?" the Neko masked Anbu questioned since she didn't wish to reveal any unnecessary information. If word got out that Kushina Uzumaki was still alive and being held prisoner, there could be untold consequences.

"Mmm. Tell Naruto-kun that he is meeting with... someone who knows about his family. As for Kakashi, only tell him the bare minimum if he asks but give no specific details." The Sandaime replied curtly as he rubbed his temples tiredly. With that, the Anbu nodded and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Meanwhile, in her cell, Kushina glanced down towards a brand on her forearm and smiled to herself. Whispering underneath her breath so that the guards wouldn't overhear her "Soon Naruto-kun... you shall receive our legacy."

 **Minutes later.**

At the village gates, Team Seven and their client, a bridge builder named Tazuna were preparing to leave. Kakashi ordered a brief inventory check to make sure that his team packed the essentials and that they were prepared for the trip.

As this went on, Naruto stared out the open village gates, his eyes staring blankly into the open road for some moments. "Oi. Naruto. Its your turn now." Spoke the voice of Sakura after her belongings had been double checked by their sensei. The blonde was snapped out of his brief stupor and dropped his backpack to the ground so that his belongings would be checked out.

"You were staring pretty hard into empty space. Thinking about something?" asked Kakashi with a slightly raised eyebrow, wondering what was on his most brash and impulsive student's mind.

"Dunno. Just thinking I guess. This will be the first time I get to leave Konoha, and... I know there are other Nations out there with their own Shinobi villages. I can't help but wonder what their Shinobi are like. If there are stronger Shinobi out in the world. And what other things might be out there in the world, just waiting to be discovered. Heh, I don't know about the rest of you... but I am kinda wishing I get a chance to explore the unknown and see what the world may offer." The blonde explained in a more lengthy manner than intended.

"Well, that is quite mature and admirable of you Naruto. And take it from me, that the Shinobi world is vast. There are still many things that lay undiscovered. If you work hard enough, and maybe get a little lucky; you'll find something long buried and forgotten by the world." Kakashi spoke with an amused eye smile, Sakura also nodded in agreement since that sounded like it might be cool, not to mention it was oddly rare to see the blonde act and speak in such a manner.

"Hn. Like this dobe will ever find anything like that. The past doesn't matter. Only power does. Besides we're just going to protect our client in Wave country, nothing truly interesting will happen." Sasuke muttered in a dismissive tone, earning a light glare from Kakashi due to the Uchiha's own ignorance, especially on the latter part of his statement since it was a general rule to always expect whatever may or may not happen.

"But aren't you the one obsessing about your past all the time?" Naruto asked innocently making the Uchiha blanch at his statement. Inwardly though, the Jonin was laughing almost hysterically since Sasuke stabbed himself in the foot with that one. The Uchiha then turned on his heel while his face burned in anger and embarrassment.

"Okay, enough about all that. We ready to go? The sooner we get to Wave country, the better." Tazuna spoke while drinking some sake prompting Team Seven to nod in agreement, although in the Uchiha's case it was a simple grunt of confirmation. They all proceeded to leave Konoha until a loud feminine shout of 'FREEZE' echoed down the street.

They turned towards the source of the yell and spotted a female Anbu running towards them at high speed with a dust cloud trailing behind her. She lunged forward and tackled the blonde sending the both of them falling to the ground with the masked woman now on top of him, straddling his waist.

The other members of Team Seven and their client all stared at the scene with wide eyes that were now the size of dinner plates. Naruto had swirls in his own eyes as he muttered "Okay. Tackled by a mystery Anbu lady. That's a new one. Does this mean I am being arrested or does the mystery lady want to see me off?"

"I highly doubt its the latter Naruto! When in Anbu is sent after you, it usually ends with an assassination!" Yelled Sakura while grasping at her hair in worry for her teammate.

"I haven't been stabbed yet, so that's a good sign." Naruto quipped bluntly making the pinkette sweat-drop at his statement although there was indeed some merit to it. The masked Kunoichi got off the blonde and extended a hand to him, he accepted it with a nod as she helped pull him to his feet then brushed some dirt off his clothes.

After that she adjusted her mask and spoke in a professional tone "Anbu captain and Hokage guard, codenamed Neko, at your service Naruto-san. I apologize for pouncing on you like that but I was in a hurry." she bowed to him on one knee with her head lowered slightly making the whiskered teen blush since no one had ever bowed to him before.

"Uhh, don't worry about it. Did you need something from me?" The blonde asked in order to learn the reason why one of the Hokage's guards came running after him out of nowhere. It must havebeen for a very important reason.

"Hn. Probably because the Hokage realized it was a mistake to let you leave the village, loser." Sasuke spoke with a small smirk, the condescension being obvious in his voice. Suddenly a hand whipped out and slapped the Uchiha hard across the cheek sending him to the ground. Sasuke's eyes were wide with shock as he touched the stinging sensation on his cheek, he turned to look up and saw the Anbu standing over him, her body language showing that she was very angry.

"Speak when spoken to. And do not belittle your teammates." The purple haired Anbu coldly scolded the self proclaimed avenger, even from behind her mask, the black haired Genin could see her eyes burning with an intense fury and for once... chose to keep silent.

Neko then cleared her throat and took on a more relaxed stance causing Kakashi to raise an eyebrow at her outburst. She then spoke to Naruto in a gentle tone "The true reason I am here is to retrieve you Naruto-san. The Hokage has someone that you should meet... someone that has knowledge about your family."

At her statement, time seemed to slow down for a few moments for Naruto and he could almost swear his heart may have stopped beating for two whole seconds before speeding up again in excitement and anticipation. "FOR REAL? SOMEONE THAT KNOWS ABOUT MY FAMILY?" the blonde yelled excitedly.

"That's great Naruto! You should definitely go! What's a few more minutes right Sensei?" Sakura spoke in a surprisingly encouraging tone, since she felt that her teammate shouldn't waste this opportunity, plus she also felt a bit bad for constantly punching him during their Academy days.

"Huh. So the kid's an Orphan? That explains his poor attitude." Commented Tazuna under his breath a bit, though was still more than loud enough for everyone to hear him. Naruto felt his eyebrow twitch a bit despite the statement being the truth. Shrugging, he decided to let that one slide since he had something more important to deal with.

Dropping his backpack he turned towards his Sensei and spoke "Sorry to delay the mission and all... but I need to go. I'll get back as quick as I can." the whiskered teen promised earning an eye smile and a nod from the silver haired Jonin. With that said and done, Naruto left with Neko to meet whoever this person was, and he couldn't wait to know about his family.

 **Meanwhile.**

Kushina Uzumaki is now wearing a white sundress with a matching wide brimmed sun hat to keep the sunlight off her head, she is sitting outside on the Golden Leaf's patio in order to keep her separated from the general public and to make it easier to observe her while at the same time, giving her the privacy she so demanded. Hiruzen stood by, glaring heatedly at the red haired woman as she sipped a bit of wine. Numerous Anbu were littered across the neighboring rooftops to ensure she didn't try any funny business, and just to ensure she didn't try to escape, a seal was placed around her neck which can be activated with a hand-sign and then decapitate her if she attempted escape... or some freak accident happened to Konohamaru if she failed to hold up her end of the bargain, however unlikely it seemed. It also helped suppress her enormous chakra network and inhuman strength.

Kushina was many things, a monster, and a murderer, but she was always a woman of her word. To the letter. On one occasion during her career, an enemy outpost commander promised to surrender so long as she didn't clap him in irons. She agreed on the spot... but then slapped cuffs made out of silver on him. Hiruzen was careful not to leave any openings or loopholes when dealing with this woman since she was a master of manipulation. He had no doubt that she had someone on the inside of his own infrastructure, possibly a man she had seduced with honeyed words and sweetened but empty promises.

It'd be something he'd have to look into later. Kushina noticed how his face had been scrunched up in thought prompting her to speak her mind "Penny for your thoughts Hiruzen? You look like you are trying to melt me into a puddle of goo with all that glaring."

He grunted slightly as he replied "Just trying to figure out how you have connections outside of your cell. And about what I intend to ask you about Uzu's treasures when this is all over." His response made her chuckle in amusement, her violet eyes being shadowed slightly by her hat, but if one looked close enough there was definitely a large amount of glee.

"That's for me to know. And in regards to Uzu, I can't guarantee the accuracy of any information I give up. It has been a long time since Uzu's fall so I wouldn't be surprised if some other vultures has already picked it clean." she commented of offhandedly, although the Sandaime didn't believe her since Uzu was known to have kept their most priceless resources hidden, the true gems of their vast collections being hidden throughout the Elemental Nations.

And there was one item in particular that was of interest dubbed 'The Mark of the First'. Inside Konoha's forbidden scroll, Hashirama Senju kept several documents detailing some of Uzu's treasures, including the Mark of the First. The details on this particular mark are both vague and sketchy at best, it was recorded that the Uzumaki's themselves knew very little about it including the Shodaime's wife Mito.

From what little Hiruzen discovered, it is some type of seal that predates the Clan wars, maybe even the Rikudou Sennin, that is capable of enhancing certain characteristics and abilities of whoever has it placed on them. However, there is some type of a catch, but there is no record of what that is. The Sandaime decided now might be a good time to ask as any.

"While we wait for Naruto-kun to show up... I have a question regarding one of Uzu's treasures." The Sandaime spoke in a more professional tone of voice, the female Uzumaki sipped some more wine and decided to indulge his curiosity a bit... he did spare no expense after all so it might not hurt to play nice for once.

"Okay old man. Fire away." she replied while adjusting her hat for a few moments, casually leaning back into her chair in order to look up at the sky with a look of playfulness on her face... though for some reason it reminded the Sandaime of a cat that was ready to toy with a cornered mouse.

"I want to ask you about something called The Mark of the First." he spoke in a curt manner, at his statement the red haired woman stiffened up for a few moments before relaxing in her seat. Her violet eyes flicking between Hiruzen and the half empty wine glass in front of her.

Finally she smirked and responded "Straight to the hardball questions eh? That's fine. The Mark of the First has been a bit of an enigma even for the Uzumaki clan. Some think it was the first seal that the Rikudou Sennin use to break apart the Juubi. Some of our Elder's think it was something we received from a clan of demons. No one really knows. Only thing that's been known for sure is that it does indeed make whoever has it stronger and faster... but it was also known to make them more... aggressive."

At the end of her explanation the Sandaime adopted a thinking pose, wondering if the enhanced aggression she mentioned was a possible side-effect, before he could ask further an Anbu appeared and whispered into his ear that Neko had arrived with Naruto Uzumaki. He dismissed the Anbu with a nod and spoke to the red haired woman "He is here now. Don't try anything funny or my Anbu will rush in to subdue you. Make the most of this." He warned her before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

"I intend to." She whispered to herself before quickly straightening out her dress and hair to look more presentable. Out from the interior of the Golden Leaf and onto the patio appeared a young boy, and it was most definitely her only child and the one light in her life of darkness and slaughter... Naruto.

"Naruto Uzumaki? It is so wonderful to meet you at last! My name is Kushina! Please have a seat, take a load off, order whatever you like!" She blurted out in an overly excited manner, which caused her to cover her mouth and blush since she felt like she was already being overbearing on him.

"Uh, no thanks. I have to meet my team soon so I don't want to take up too much time." the blonde replied as he approached the table, but was surprised when Neko pulled out his chair for him and gestured for him to sit in it. He felt a bit surprised that an Anbu was being so courteous to him but he nodded and got into the chair, which was then pushed in by the Anbu.

"If you need me for anything, I'll be inside Naruto-san." She spoke before departing inside the restaurant to give them their privacy. For Naruto, the atmosphere became awkward and a little tense as the woman called Kushina wouldn't stop staring at him. He could almost literally feel her eyes scanning him up and down in a way that someone who made jewelry would inspect a diamond or other valuable stone. It made him squirm just a little bit in discomfort.

He swallowed hard and then decided he might as well try and break the ice by asking "Its Kushina-san right? So how do you know my parents? What were they like? Why weren't they ever around in my life?" he blushed a little since he had blurted out some of his biggest questions without fully realizing it.

Kushina waved a hand from side to side while replying in a jovial voice "Slow down there. I'll answer all of your questions to the best of my abilities. Well... to start with, your father was a man called Minato, he was a kindhearted albeit naive man, but he was a great Shinobi who earned quite a bit of a reputation against Iwa. Your mother was a woman called Uzumaki, she is the one you received your surname from... and she is a stark contrast to your father.

She was cruel and vicious during her time as a Kunoichi, most exclusively during the Third Shinobi war. Ohhhh, the stories I could tell about her torturing prisoners and executing them would turn that golden blonde hair of yours as white as snow. Suffice it to say, she could be your best friend or worst enemy, and you had best wish you become the former. As for why they were never in your life... well... your father died during a terrorist attack, and your mother was gravely injured, her enemies captured her and took her away. Leaving you all alone."

At the end of her explanation, Naruto felt several emotions flood him. He felt joy for knowing much more about his parents, he felt sadness knowing they were gone, and he felt anger that someone had taken his mother from him before he had a chance to even know her or his dad. Before he could ask her anything else, she raised a hand to silence him and spoke in a tone of urgency "Listen very closely Naruto-kun. I would love to tell you more, and I shall at a later date, but there are more important and immediate issues right now. To be blunt, the Sandaime did everything he could to keep me from seeing you. I had to threaten the life of someone very close to him just to get to see you, and at the same time I am quite possibly putting my life on the line by talking to you."

His mouth opened and closed several times at the sudden declaration, but he stiffly nodded anyway sensing that this woman was being completely serious... however crazy it may sound right now. "That was... sudden. Why doesn't the old man want us talking? You know about my family and everything so don't I deserve to know?" the whiskered teen asked while clenching his fists, his eyes narrowing slightly as the gears began to turn in his head despite the sudden change of subjects and mood in this unusual conversation.

"Simple. The less you know about yourself the better. A clean slate for him to overwrite and exploit." she explained bluntly while crossing her arms under her bust, her violet eyes holding a much sharper edge to them.

"Exploit? What's so special about me except..." He fell silent as it clicked in his mind, the one thing that separated him from all the rest wasn't just his mysterious background as an orphan... but it was his 'house guest' the Kyuubi no Kitsune that resided within his own body.

"Yes. The Kyuubi. That's one of the many things that makes you so special. That's why there are people who will want to control you and try to manipulate you however they can. But... I intend to flip the table on them all. Naruto-kun... you have to kiss me." Kushina spoke while removing her sun hat, allowing the sunlight to catch her blood red hair.

"K-k-k-kiss? You? On the lips?" He stuttered with his face turning a bright neon red as things got a lot weirder, now a beautiful and mature woman was asking him to kiss her. Without giving him time to respond, she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him in across the table, planting her soft lips against his own. She kissed him with immense passion along with a carnal hunger that made him feel his entire body heat up from this situation.

"You...will...have...to...trust...me...my...child." she spoke between kisses, he screamed into her mouth a bit as she placed her free hand on the back of his head to keep him in place and to muffle his cries of pain as he felt an intense burning sensation on his arm. It felt like his arm was being lit on fire, doused out, then lit again over and over.

Finally, the pain stopped and she whispered to him almost desperately "Hurt me. Hurt me in the worst way you can. Our lives depend on it." she leaned her head to the side, revealing that across the street on another rooftop, an Anbu was there with a hand on his tanto as though he were poised to strike. He didn't fully grasp what was happening... but he knew she was telling the truth. He bit his lip then grabbed a fork and stabbed it into her shoulder.

However, instead of piercing her flesh, the eating utensil suddenly bent out of shape. Kushina shoved him away before he could react then doubled over in fake shock, screaming almost hysterically "I LOVED YOU! I SACRIFICED EVERYTHING FOR YOU! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?"

The blonde glanced at the Anbu he had spotted before, noticing that he now looked confused by this scene if his current posture and tilted head was anything to go by. Deciding to play along for now the whiskered teen yelled out at the top of his lungs "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" at his yell, the Neko masked Anbu came rushing out from her hiding place inside and carried the blonde away.

At this moment, Kushina dug her own nails into her shoulder to draw blood from her flesh as soon as the Sandaime arrived with his Anbu a somewhat smug expression was on his face as he spoke to the Uzumaki "That went as well as could be expected. Satisfied now?"

the former Jinchuuriki glanced down at her forearm and smirked slightly as the brand turned into an ordinary tattoo before it began to melt off her skin without leaving so much as a trace. She was laughing almost maniacally inside herself as she shook and shivered. Naruto may have been confused but he at least played his part, now the Sandaime will undoubtedly believe she 'failed' in 'corrupting' him. She might have failed him as a mother despite it not being her fault... but she could still help him in her own way. Now she had given him a priceless tool.

"Take her back to her cell. Prep her for tomorrow's questioning. She isn't in any condition to talk yet." Hiruzen ordered causing his Anbu to nod obediently as they helped the Uzumaki to her feet and promptly cuffed her.

"In another moment, down went Alice after it. Never once considering how in the world, she was to get out again." She muttered then spat on Hiruzen, hitting him in the face with her saliva. As the Anbu dragged her away the Sandaime took a napkin off the table and wiped it off. But for some reason... he felt a sense of dread after Kushina had spoken that quote. He recognized it from 'Alice in Wonderland' but he didn't understand what she meant by it. It was probably nothing... but then when it came to Kushina nothing was ever simple.

 **With Naruto.**

Naruto was currently being escorted back towards the village gates by the cat masked Anbu, a gentle hand was on his shoulder that never left him. He said nothing for his mind was reeling with questions. If the Hokage deliberately kept him in the dark about this, and about his burden, what else was he hiding? He could understand to a degree why the old man didn't tell him about the Kyuubi, but keeping secrets about his parents and family? That was totally unforgivable. He would definitely have questions later.

"You're angry and confused." Neko spoke in a gentle tone, snapping him out of his train of thought. The blonde could only nod since she had him pegged already. She stopped then stepped in front of him, crouching down to eye level and placing her hands on his shoulders before pulling him into a hug. "I can't begin to understand how you feel. But... the Hokage has someone precious to me locked away." she whispered to him making his eyes widen a bit.

She then broke the embrace and lifted up her mask slightly showing a pair of ruby colored lips, she leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his cheek making him blush... this was the second time he had been kissed today... by two different women no less. Once she was finished she placed her mask back into place and rolled up his sleeve... which exposed a fresh brand on his arm where Kushina had grabbed him earlier.

"This is what Kushina-sama wanted to give to you. Do not tell anyone what it is no matter what. Not even your sensei. And... Naruto-san... if you ever need my help for everything... do not hesitate to call on me." She whispered to him before stepping to the side and gently pushed him towards the village gates. Naruto swallowed a thick lump in his throat as he gazed down at the brand. This must have been why Kushina had muffled his screaming with a kiss since it hurt so bad. He was no expert on the subject but it looked kind of similar to a seal. But if Neko was aware that it was placed on him... it could only mean she was most obviously in league with that strange Kushina woman.

He was about to ask her but when he turned... she was already gone. Sighing he wiped off the lipstick on his cheek and decided that he might as well meet up with his team and start his first C-rank mission in spite of these strange and unusual events.

 **Hours later.**

"So Naruto. How did it go? What did you learn? Was it bad? You have been kind of quiet for awhile." Sakura spoke as they walked down the road. Ever since they had left Konoha, her blonde teammate had been surprisingly quiet, now the awkward silence was starting to get to her and she was genuinely curious about his parents, hence her questioning.

"Hn. A drunk and a prostitute, as expected." Sasuke spoke with his trademarked grunt, earning him a sharp smack on the head by Kakashi followed by a heated glared from Sakura.

"Sheesh kid. Would ever kill you to be nice and not be an ass all the time?" Tazuna asked with a twitching eyebrow at the Uchiha's general attitude. Inwardly the rest of Team Seven believed that it probably would kill the Uchiha.

"Well, I learned I got my mom's surname. And my dad was called Minato. They were both in the Third Shinobi war and earned a big reputation. And... they... well... didn't make it after a terrorist attack on Konoha." Naruto replied while leaving out some bits of information. Both Sakura and Tazuna gained sympathetic expressions at that, most especially from the latter since he had lost someone close to him too. Sasuke grunted with disinterest but Kakashi Hatake raised an eyebrow. The Jonin got the distinctive feeling that his student was holding something back... but he chose not to comment about it just yet.

Naruto began to sweat profusely as he felt hot all of a sudden. He grabbed a bottle of water and began to chug it down, tilting it all the way up and swallowing it down at a surprisingly rapid pace. However the cool drink didn't feel refreshing at all. He still felt hot under the collar and decided to remove the jacket of his jumpsuit and tie it around his waist, and still the feeling didn't go away.

"Hey. Can we stop for a sec? I don't feel that great." the whiskered teen asked as he rested his hands on his knees, his vision blurring slightly.

"Are you okay Naruto? You look kind of pale." Sakura commented as she approached him, then slipped his headband up a little and placed the back of her hand to his forehead. She immediately pulled her hand away and yelled "Kakashi-sensei! Naruto is burning up! I think he might have a fever!"

The Jonin approached and felt the blonde's head as well. He was burning hot to the touch just like a furnace. The masked Jonin's visible eye narrowed slightly since he knew that Naruto was fine earlier. How could he have gained a fever so quickly in just a few short hours?

Then the blonde suddenly felt cold and he began to shiver and shake, his teeth loudly chattering. Kakashi checked the blonde's forehead again only this time, the boy felt as cold as ice. "Naruto, do we need to take you back to Konoha? I'm not sure if we can even continue the mission if you're this sick." Sakura asked in concern as she grabbed a cloth from her bag and helped wipe some of the sweat off her teammate's forehead.

"I agree with Sakura. I think we should take you home." Kakashi muttered under his mask while considering his options. Naruto wheezed slightly as various colors entered his vision, then everything seemed... sharper. More defined and colorful, like he could see every detail and flaw. His ears twitched as he heard squirrels running along the branches and a nest of baby birds crying for food from their mother. He felt every single fiber of the cloth wiping his forehead along with the soft hands of Sakura checking his forehead again. He inhaled deeply... and could smell strawberries from the pinkette's hand, some kind of moisturizing cream she kept on her person?

"That's weird. Naruto seems to be okay now." Sakura spoke as she felt his body temperature come back down, this was definitely weird by all accounts. Was he having hot and cold flashes for some reason?

"I... feel fine. Better than fine." Naruto mentioned as he stood back up, a feeling of invigoration filling him again. He glanced at Sakura for a brief second and sniffed the air for a second then asked "Hey Sakura. I smell rice and chicken... lemon pepper chicken. Cookies too? With cinnamon? Did your mom make you a bento or something?" at his question the pinkette's mouth dropped open as she opened her bag and revealed the bento with the exact foods that the blonde had described.

"Yeah! My mom made this for me! How did you know?" She asked somewhat bewildered as she placed the bento back into her bag.

"I smelt it." the blonde answered bluntly much to everyone's astonishment, which lead to an awkward silence for some moments. Sensing the mood Naruto shrugged and spoke "Well, I feel better now. Sorry for the false alarm. How about we get back on track?" at his suggestion they all nodded in agreement and carried on their way while trying to pretend that nothing weird had happened.

The rest of the trip was both silent and uneventful except for Sakura occasionally checking to see if her blonde teammate was okay. He was glad to see that she actually cared instead of excessively hitting him. Eventually it was decided that a short lunch break was in order as they all brought out their own food. Naruto sat on a stump close to a nearby puddle. He opened up his own bento he had made for himself and grimaced slightly. For some odd reason... he didn't feel hungry right now.

He glanced at Sakura and he felt a strange sensation. He could hear her every heartbeat, see the movements of her throat as she swallowed her meals and he could smell watermelon shampoo in her hair. He wasn't sure why, but he was starting to notice that his senses had inexplicably sharpened. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was all in his head. Shrugging he decided to at least eat a little... until he noticed something on the ground. It was the shadow of a bird. And it wasn't moving.

Looking around, he saw that the birds in the sky had stopped flying in midair, his teammates and client had also frozen up in the middle of their meals... it was like time itself had stopped. "I don't understand the attraction to Sakura. Buuuuut I do get why you like the pink hair. She doesn't have much of a figure, but if you're into petite girls there are some benefits. You could lift her up in some interesting positions." Spoke a female voice behind him followed by an unfamiliar pressure now resting on his back.

He jumped from his seat and turned around slightly, and was met with the form of a strange woman. She looked much like the form of his coined 'Sexy Jutsu' except she seemed older, probably in her early adult years and her hair was black as night and her eyes were a deep red. For clothes she seemed to be wearing a black business suit with pinstripes along with a crimson silk necktie.

"Hey there. Nice to meet you." She greeted in a jovial tone of voice. The whiskered teen sensed no immediate threat from her... but there was definitely something off as well.

"Who or what the hell are you? And why has time stopped?" he asked while pointing an accusatory finger while adopting a more defensive stance in case she was a threat.

"Me? I am you. A part of you at least. Call me Naruko if you like since its as good a name as any. And I decided to put the area around us on 'pause' so we could chat in private. Didn't want your little teammates or Sensei wonder why you're suddenly screaming or talking to yourself." She answered with a smile as she adjusted her necktie.

"Part of me? Am I going crazy or something?" He asked while clutching at his head in dismay. Naruko held up a finger and waved it from side to side as a more saucy grin formed on her face.

"Not in the traditional manner. Call me a guide or something. I'm the gal that's gonna be your secret counsel and the one that will show you the ropes." She proclaimed as she did a quick tap dance followed by jazz hands. The blonde immediately sweat-dropped since this girl was a bit strange.

"You're not making any sense. Show me the ropes to what?" he asked while crossing his arms, a sour look on his face as he gave a light glare. Naruko smirk as she appeared next to him and grabbed his arm where the brand appeared which gave him a sharp tingling sensation. Her facial features morphed slightly into a darker and more twisted version as her canines lengthened and her hair began to move about on its own.

"Okay. Lemme put this in a way you can understand. This brand on your arm? It is called the Mark of the First. Long ago, during a time when humans and demons existed together on this Earth. Naturally, we demons were the dominant species, but then a great Holy War broke out, and most if not all of demonkind were banished to Hell. However, some traces can still be found. This mark, is actually a Sigil of the first of all demonkind, who wished revenge on their younger and more arrogant kin by starting the Holy war, to level the scales they granted humankind an edge.

When placed upon a human, it transforms their bodies into that of a demon. Greatly enhancing their powers beyond reckoning. The mark can of course, be transferred from person to person to create more demon born from humans. Quite ironic that a 'holy war' was waged using the powers of demons. As for me, I suppose I am an 'echo' of the demons of old; something they left behind so that those who bear the mark can know all they need to... but naturally I need to absorb just a little bit my host's essence in order to exist. That's about the long and short of it. Got it?" she explained before releasing him with a dark chuckle.

"Not all of it... but then that means... that Kushina woman was... actually a demon?" He muttered as he put the pieces together earning a few slow claps from his new 'guide'

"Mmm. I know nothing about this Kushina woman except what is in your memories, but if she had the mark and passed it onto you, then yes. By the way... I am not sure if you noticed this... but why is there a puddle here by the side of the road on a clear and sunny day?" she asked while pointing at the puddle that was next to his seat making him quirk up an eyebrow since he hadn't thought about it until she mentioned it.

"This is... a lot to take in you know. You're saying I'm gonna be a demon." He spoke angrily while clenching his fists as he glared heatedly at his 'guide' and he was also fuming at how that Kushina woman suddenly slapped this on him without telling him the consequences.

"Hey. It won't be all bad. Trust me. Becoming a demon will be the best thing that will ever happen to you! You'll evolve into something better and more badass than any human! In time... you'll see why humans are so utterly inferior." She muttered the last part in a bit of disgust.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked with a glare, feeling like she owed him some kind of explanation for that particular viewpoint. Instead of answering him, she smirked and snapped her fingers allowing time to resume like normal.

"You'll see. I'm sure you'll make a good partner." She replied bluntly as she vanished out of his sight. In that moment, a pair of figures leapt out from the 'puddle' making the blonde realize it was some type of Genjutsu Camouflage. Behind him, Kakashi rushed forward since he'd been keeping an eye on the puddle but couldn't warn Naruto for fear of alerting whoever was hiding.

The blonde saw the two attackers had some type of clawed gauntlets, and a chain connecting them together that was designed to ensnare and shred their victims. Naruto assumed a defensive stance as he felt a rush of power flowing through him he reached out and snatched the chain before it had the chance to wrap around him.

"Wrong move kid." Spoke one of the attackers as they expected a spray of blood from his hand as the changed course to dash past him and target the Jonin... only to be stopped in their tracks as they felt something yank back, interrupting their momentum and causing their legs to fly out from beneath them as they landed on their backs. Looking back they saw the blond boy still gripping the chain, a furious look on his face.

"I am not in the mood for this shit. Get... fucking... LOST!" Naruto roared angrily as he pulled sharply on the chain with enough force to cause the stunned duo to fly towards the blonde. Trying to use this new momentum they readied their claws to strike, but one was swiftly kicked in the face causing his mask to shatter on impact. The other one smiled beneath his mask as his claws shredded the blonde's shirt, but when they reached his skin, the sounds of steel scratching against steel was heard as the tips of his claws snapped off.

"Wha? What the hell are you?" asked the one attacker who was still conscious, his eyes wide in disbelief. It was then he saw it... the visage of a ferocious demon staring down at him, like he was a roach meant to be crushed.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki, bitch." The blonde replied as he sent an axe kick down on the back of the remaining Shinobi's head sending him to the ground creating a small crater from the impact. The whiskered teen scoffed as he dropped the chain to the ground and rubbed his neck slightly. For some reason... he felt... powerful. Those guys seemed to have moved so slow from his perspective that he could have run laps around them, hence how he caught the chain so easily.

He looked towards the faces of his team and client, their eyes all wide from the display. "What?" Was the only intelligent thing that came to mind which made them all snap out of their stupors. Kakashi eye smiled slightly as he proceeded to tie up their attackers which he identified to be the demon brothers Meizu and Gozu... now the question remains... why did they attack? Especially with someone like himself who was a Upper A-rank Shinobi?

From out of the corner of his eye, Naruto spotted his black haired guide again, he was about to speak to her but she beat him to the punch by saying "Careful now. You have freaked them out enough. You wouldn't want them to think you're talking to yourself right? I'll teach you how to speak to me mentally later on."

He looked over his shoulder and saw that the others were busy watching the Jonin tie up the missing Nin, so he dropped his voice to a whisper and spoke harshly "I'm still pissed that this happened to me... but I may as well make the most of it since I clobbered those guys. You had better be good on your word though."

"Easy now, I'm part of you remember? I am now your bestest friend ever. Cross my heart." She spoke while raising one hand in mock surrender and using the other to cross her heart. The blonde sighed as he glanced down at his branded arm, then slowly... a small smile formed. Sure he was still mad about becoming a demon... but then, if he was still himself then what did it matter anyway? He looked out on the open road towards Konoha's general direction... and silently wondered if he would meet Kushina again.

 **End chapter one.**

 **Omake: Kushina is a troll.**

"Sooooooooo, Sensei mentioned that you're going to be cooperative now. Maybe you'll cooperate with me and let me help keep you warm at night?" asked one Jiraiya as he leered at the redhead, openly ogling the silhouette of her figure as she showers behind a curtain which is the only thing keeping her from direct view.

"Save me your obvious attempts at overcompensation for your underdeveloped penis." She quipped while scrubbing some shampoo in her hair. The Sannin blanched at that briefly before regaining his composure.

He coughed into his hand and replied "I don't know what you mean. I haven't heard any complaints from the ladies." he smirked and shrugged, a perverted grin crossing his face as he saw the crimson hair woman scrub her chest area with soap.

"Uh-huh. By ladies you mean hookers. The kind of women that see plenty of John's and Smith's with tiny dicks." She answered back while bending over to scrub at her legs, even from behind the shower curtain she could sense the Sannin's discomfort from her insults and prodding. Chuckling to herself she decided to screw with his head "Tell me, what was it that Tsunade said to you when you fumbled your way into her pants and she saw exactly how little you had to offer? What was it she started calling you as she laughed her ass off? Short stack? No-penis-Jiraiya?"

"Shut up already! I can't see why Minato ever loved a bitch like you." Jiraiya yelled angrily, the insults having gotten to him at last... which didn't take much if you kept joking about his masculinity.

"Why do you think? I could please him in a way no regular woman could." Spoke Kushina as her head popped out from behind the slightly parted curtain, she thrust her hips out slightly exposing her crotch area which made the Sannin reach for his notebook... only to jaw-drop when he saw that the Uzumaki was sporting a very large cock with a pair of testicles hanging between her legs.

"Who do you think wore the pants dumbass?" She asked with a fiendish smile as Jiraiya couldn't believe that one of the women he desired the most... was a Futanari! His brain shut down as he collapsed on the floor prompting several Anbu to appear. After taking note that Kushina was in the shower and the Sannin was lying unconscious on the floor, they concluded that his own perverseness lead to this and so they dragged him off.

Behind the shower curtain Kushina sighed as she released the Genjutsu on her crotch area showing off nothing but smooth skin above her special place. "Finally! I have been waiting to pull that trick for years. Heheh. Dumbass pervert."

 **End Omake.**

 **A/N: Another chapter and post done! I hope you enjoy this one. If I feel up to it and get enough reviews I might feel encouraged to update this one again with a second chapter. Stay tuned my loving readers!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Another update from yours truly. Thanks to the encouragement of some of my readers and having a laptop to write with, I feel significantly more inspired to continue writing this story. Hope you enjoy and wish me luck. More reviews and encouragement are always nice. And I apologize for the long delay. I spent a lot of time on Crunchyroll to catch up on Dragon Ball Super.**

 **Chapter two: Veiled Darkness.**

In Konoha, more specifically, the Haruno Household. Mebuki was sitting on the couch watching 'The Notebook' sipping on a glass of wine with a scrapbook on her lap, and on the small table in front of her was a half eaten lemon pound cake with cream cheese icing. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying as the credits to the movie rolled and she looked down at the scrapbook, gazing at pictures during a happier time in her married life and her time as a Kunoichi.

She remembered her marriage, it was such a happy occasion, probably one of the few events that her dearest friends had attended in person, then came Sakura's birth, which she believed was an even happier event in her life despite her choice to retire from being a Kunoichi. Then... things started to slowly go downhill.

Her late husband Kizashi started to bury himself in his work as a Civilian council member to 'provide a better life for his family' as he so put it, but now she believed it was to line his pockets with the money he sponged off of others after taking an Anti-Shinobi stance in spite of his own history as a former Shinobi. And now he was dead, it didn't take long for her to figure out who killed him, especially after seeing the mark that was placed on him from the photos shown to her by those investigating his death. Now... it wouldn't be long till it'd be her turn.

The lights and television flickered for a moment before her apartment's electricity went dead. A sad smile filled her face as she sipped her wine and set aside the scrapbook to one side. A loud knocking was heard from her front door, but she didn't get up to answer. She knew who it was.

The knocking became louder and more ferocious as the person outside knocked with more urgency, but the blonde woman grabbed a tissue to clear her tear filled eyes then brought the wine to her lips again to finish it off. At last, the door was kicked down, barely hanging from the door frame due to the chain lock, outside was the silhouette of a person who was dressed all in black with a hood kept up and a face mask to further obscure their features. Gray storm clouds appeared over Konoha behind the intruder as rain began to fall. They stepped inside, the sounds of boots thumping softly against the apartment's hardwood floors was heard with each step.

"It was only a matter of time." Mebuki muttered loud enough for the intruder to hear, with a sigh she threw the wine glass at them, the intruder leaned to the side causing the glass to shatter against the wall as Mebuki dived over the coffee table and threw several Shuriken. The throwing weapons whizzed through the air but only hit the apartment's walls as the attacker had vanished out of sight. Mebuki spotted movement from her peripheral vision and quickly sent a roundhouse kick in the intruder's direction, only for them to duck under it and send a crushing blow towards the blonde woman's midsection.

Despite the wind getting knocked out of her, the ex-Kunoichi assumed a Taijutsu stance and swung at her attacker with a viscous barrage of blows, however the masked person easily swatted aside or blocked the oncoming blows with ease, almost as if they were toying with her the same way a feline might play with its prey. Growling she sent a kick to their ribs but they side-stepped it and countered by hitting the blonde woman straight in the throat. Mebuki wheezed as she felt her windpipe close off as she gasped for air and fell to one knee. She felt the attacker gazing down at her, if she didn't do something fast then she would be killed. Despite her lungs burning, she grabbed at her attacker around the waist and threw them into the adjacent wall making them impact against it with a soft grunt and the cracking of several ceramic tiles.

Mebuki sent a powerful haymaker towards the intruder, but they ducked under it causing her fist to hit the ceramic plated wall breaking apart a large section of it. Despite feeling the pain of her bones cracking from the blow, she wouldn't give up just yet and sent her other fist towards her opponent's head but they leaned to the side causing her fist to pierce through the wall where the ceramic wall tiles had fallen off.

The intruder shoved Mebuki back then kicked a leg out from under her while she was off balance, then in mid fall they used the momentum of gravity and an open palm on her chest to make her crash through the coffee table. The blonde woman screamed as she felt tiny shards of glass shred her nightgown and skin, and with no time to react she found herself being thrown across the apartment like a rag doll. Her head hit against the kitchen counter making her vision spin around.

Shaking her head to clear it, she saw a rack of kitchen knives just waiting to be used. Pursing her lips together, she lunged towards them and threw one across the apartment which missed and imbedded itself into a picture frame, then she grabbed a meat cleaver and threw it at her opponent who successfully caught it by the handle with inhuman reflexes and threw it into the floor, planting the blade firmly into the wood of the floor.

"Fuck me." Mebuki whispered under her breath as she grabbed a third knife and used it in an attempt to stab at the intruder, despite blood trying to obscure her vision she could still see her enemy ducking and weaving around her attempts to stab them. Finally having enough, they caught her outstretched arm as she attempted to stab at them again then snapped her wrist causing her to yell out in pain then drop the knife. They sent a knee into her stomach then a hook into her jaw causing blood and saliva to spray out from her mouth.

Mebuki slumped to the floor, her eyes looking up at her attacker as a grin formed on her face, the blonde woman spat out some blood and spoke as she panted for breath with a small smile on her face "Can you blame a girl for trying? Well, go on then. We both know what happens when we break the rules."

The masked person said nothing at first, and instead went towards a weapons rack, the sounds of glass crunching beneath their boots echoed throughout the apartment as they grabbed a certain Katana off the rack then slowly approached the incapacitated blonde. She swallowed hard, feeling a deepening pit in her stomach since she wouldn't see her daughter again "Do what you have to. Just... don't hurt my little girl. She's not part of this." She spoke while balling her good hand into a fist, waiting for the final blow that would end her life.

She cracked an eye open when it never came, the intruder's masked face was but a few inches away from hers. She felt something placed in her hands, making her look down for a brief moment... it was her old headband from her Kunoichi days. She looked up in confusion before it clicked in her mind... that she was being offered a second chance.

"You owe us." Spoke the masked person in a low voice while clutching their prize. The Katana clicking slightly in its sheath as they walked away and departed without so much as another word or a backwards glance.

 **Meanwhile.**

Hiruzen was in his office finishing off the last few scraps of paperwork before he went to question Kushina regarding Uzu's treasures and the perpetual enigma of the Mark of the First. Before he could finish signing the last page, someone began pounding hard on his office door. Sighing to himself he decided to see what was so important, before he could even call out to whoever was knocking, the door was slammed open by a flood of Chunin who were unintelligibly jabbering over themselves to get his attention.

Some of the Chunin were waving around pictures or reports of incidents, others were animatedly talking on a phone and almost yelling into the mouthpiece. The Hokage jaw-dropped at the sight and wondered what it was that was causing this kind of chaos. He tried to call for order but it seems the Chunin were unable to hear him due to the out-of-control situation. Finally losing his patience the Sandaime yelled out in a tone of authority "SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!"

Silence filled the office as the various Chunin stood in silence before rearranging themselves into a more orderly fashion then looked expectantly at the Sandaime. Nodding in thanks the Hokage spoke in a professional tone of voice "Now. One at a time. What is the problem?"

The two Eternal Chunin stepped forward first with some stacks of photographs with Kotetsu speaking "We've been getting reports of mass vandalism all across Konoha. People have been marking up shops, hotels and other buildings with all kinds of graffiti." ushering his partner Izumo forward, the Chunin presented to photos which made the Hokage's eyes widen in horror.

The mark Uzu had been spray painted onto the sides of various buildings, and there were messages as well like 'Remember us now?' or 'Long live our sacred Uzu' or 'The Hokage lied! Uzu was left to die!' and even 'The Evil Uzumaki never forgets!'

"And that's not all! We have been getting phone calls that someone broke into the Haruno household and that a masked person was spotted fleeing the scene and Mebuki was found severely injured! And Iruka just called that someone has been digging up graves across Konoha! Three have been confirmed, Mito Uzumaki, Mikoto Uchiha, and Rin Nohara." Spoke a Chunin named Suzume as she pushed up her glasses.

The Sandaime narrowed his eyes, his fists clenching into a white knuckle grip since he knew this was undoubtedly Kushina's handiwork. The Graffiti was an attempt to send a message to the people of Konoha and make them start asking questions, Mebuki being attacked shortly after her husband's death? That was no coincidence. But why dig up those graves... suddenly a shiver went down Hiruzen's spine. If Kushina knew about the Edo Tensei, then it could cause untold damage if she were to revive certain person's of interest.

"I see. I shall handle this matter personally. See about clearing up that graffiti, get Mebuki to the hospital and if anyone asks about the grave robbings don't say a word. There's someone I must go and question about these events." He spoke while assuming his Hokage personality as he got up from his seat. The Chunin cleared a path for him allowing him to exit his office before they began to carry out his orders. All the while the aged Hokage couldn't help but wonder why Kushina and her followers were being so active now. Why wait all this time? Something wasn't right here, and he was going to find out what it was.

 **Elsewhere.**

"... And that's the whole story." Tazuna explained his reasons for lying to them and why he needed a Shinobi team in the first place. His explanation about Gato slowly squeezing the life out of Team Seven earned some mixed feelings. Both Naruto and Sakura kind of understood and felt bad about Wave's plight but things were way different now. Kakashi was inwardly fuming since his team had been put in harm's way and now was the time to consider what would be best to do. Sasuke however cared little for the Bride builder's reasons and instead wished to continue on to become stronger.

"What do we do now Sensei?" Asked Sakura in an unsure voice, she didn't want to abandon Tazuna and by extension the people of Wave, but she wasn't ready to handle a mission that held the fate of an entire country. That was too much pressure not to mention danger involved.

"Well, from the way I see it we have three options. First, we go back to Konoha and report that Tazuna gave false information and mission parameters and allow for a better and more experienced team to take over, but in doing so Tazuna may face some criminal charges for recklessly endangering and potentially wasting Shinobi resources. Second, we continue with the mission at hand to aid Wave Country and possibly face very real danger in the form of more powerful Missing nin or mercenaries. Third, we abandon the mission entirely and leave both Tazuna and Wave country to their fates." At the end of Kakashi's explanation, a grim silence fell over the area. No one had the stomach to say anything at this time since they seemed to be stuck in a no-win situation.

Naruto crossed his arms, feeling conflicted over what to do. Morally speaking, the right thing to do would be to continue on and face the danger regardless of what may come, but still... he felt the power of the mark slowly coursing through his body which became more potent with each passing minute. Even with this power... could he still protect everyone even if he didn't fully understand it? Kakashi could undoubtedly handle himself, maybe Sasuke if he used his head and took the stick out of his ass. But Sakura was still in a bit of a Fangirl phase and was a greenhorn no less.

The visage of Naruko appeared beside him, she gave him a saucy grin as she spoke in an almost mocking tone "Poor Ruto-kun. He's all stuck now. Can't decide which way to go. Forward or back? If only he had someone that could help teach him to use the powers of a demon." His ears perked up at that last statement, while he still wasn't sure he could fully trust this entity... he didn't have many options right now.

"Come on Ruto-kun! Being a demon isn't so bad! You won't need to eat or sleep nearly as much as a regular human, unless it is for pleasure. You'll be stronger, faster, tougher than any Shinobi if you train in your abilities! Now stop being all down in the dumps and buck up! This might be your big chance!" She proudly proclaimed as she suddenly sported a cheerleader outfit complete with a pair of pom-poms. She did a little dance while summoning a neon sign that read 'Go Naruto!' in bright yellow letters.

She paused when she saw his reluctance, it seemed he needed a little extra push. "Come on! What's with you acting all reserved and quiet? If you were that same idiot shouting about becoming Hokage, you would have done something stupid and immediately agreed to help the old man! You wanna know one of the worst kinds of humans? Its the kind of human that clearly sees someone is in trouble... but does nothing about it and passes by, or worse yet, watches. You don't wanna be that kind of person, yeah?" she asked him in a more serious tone, her blood red eyes holding a more menacing glow to them.

Her words made something click in the blonde's mind. She was absolutely right. He couldn't sit by and do nothing at all. Then an idea came to mind causing him to ask "Oi, Kakashi-sensei. What would happen if we were to call for backup?"

The silver haired Jonin adopted a thinking pose for a few moments, he then sighed and spoke in an almost disappointed voice "That's not a bad idea, but it'd be fairly time consuming. Firstly, the request for backup would have to reach the Hokage himself, then he'd have to assess the situation, then he would need to find any available Shinobi or volunteers, then they would need to make their way over to us. It might take a few days at the most."

"Guess we need to send it now then, and in the meantime you can seriously train us how to fight. Its not enough that all we do is teamwork exercises Sensei. What good is all that teamwork if we can't individually handle ourselves if we get separated?" Naruto asked while crossing his arms, his invisible guide smirking at his point.

"Mmm. You make a valid point there. Well then, how about we vote on this in the name of fairness? All in favor of continuing the mission after sending a request for backup?" The Jonin asked after raising his hand, already sensing in which direction this vote would go. Both Naruto and Sasuke raised their hands for their own differing reasons, while Sakura hesitated for a moment, she too raised her hand in agreement since leaving Tazuna would have been wrong.

"Good. We're all in agreement then. I'll start writing up the request for backup." Kakashi spoke while pulling out a blank scroll and pen to write with.

"That's good and all. But umm, won't Tazuna still get in trouble if you explain why we need assistance?" Sakura asked out of a bit of concern, the Bridge builder also wondering the same thing, but currently he was busy trying to hold back the tears in his eyes since this team was still going to help him and his country.

"Only if I write down the specifics. For now, I'll just say we met with unexpected opposition from Missing Nin and need aid. That's not really lying now is it?" The Jonin spoke with an eye-smile as he wrote down the brief request in the scroll. Naruto inched away from the group so he could speak to his 'guide' in private, and maybe learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of being a demon.

"Okay, spill it. Tell me about being a demon. How will it make me stronger? And are there any weaknesses I need to know about?" He asked his black haired counterpart, making her smirk as she transformed into some kind of military style uniform complete with a green beret and a chalkboard appearing behind her.

"I'm so glad you asked Trooper! Now listen up because this is important!" She yelled in a manner similar to a drill sergeant as she began to draw some cartoonish looking demon like creatures on the chalkboard along with several stick figure humans, then she put the words 'Demons vs Humans!' above the childish drawings. When she was finished she cleared her throat to get the blonde's attention.

He nodded in acknowledgment that he was ready prompting her to speak "As I mentioned earlier, Demons do not require as much food or sleep as a Human would, unless they do so for the sake of pleasure or in some cases concealment. Your senses are also incredibly sharpened to superhuman levels! Enhanced eyesight, smell, hearing, the works. In addition, Demons are capable of surviving in extreme climates and conditions, you could stand naked in a frozen tundra and not feel cold or you could wear a heavy coat in a desert and not break a sweat. Demons are also immune to disease and many poisons including cyanide, snake venom and more.

The bodies of Demons are several times sturdier and more durable than a normal human body. Regular weapons will bounce off or break entirely against your skin, and for anyone that tries to punch you, it'll feel like punching solid concrete. It would take an extraordinary amount of strength or a special kind of weapon to injure you, maybe something enhanced with Chakra could do the trick. And even if you do get injured, you may simply use your Demonic chakra to regenerate and heal from the injuries, regrowing lost limbs and organs is also a cinch.

Some jutsu won't work on you too, Fire Jutsu won't do any real damage to you considering that Demonkind originates from a realm of fire and brimstone, Water Jutsu won't work unless the user has a ton of holy water handy, Wind and Lightning jutsu might be able to do some damage. Can't say the same for Bloodline techniques but that kinda depends on what type it is.

Oh, stay off of holy ground because it'll make you feel sluggish or sleepy. You with me so far on all of this?" she asked at the end of her long explanation when she noticed that Naruto was staring blankly at her with a large sweat-drop on his head.

"I kinda feel like I'm turning into one of those souped up OP manga characters or something if you put it all like that." He muttered while crossing his arms.

"Trust me. You'll definitely want to be overpowered when up against another overpowered idiot with a god complex." She deadpanned which caused a certain ripple eyed man to sneeze in Ame. Naruto shrugged his shoulders for a bit but then he wondered about Kushina. About how she kissed him and branded him with the mark. He thought briefly on their conversation... he remembered that she told him the given name of his father being Minato, and the surname of his mother being Uzumaki. Why not tell him their full names?

Unless... she deliberately left that part out for some reason or another. Perhaps to avoid putting him in danger if the Sandaime really was trying to manipulate him. He had too many questions and not nearly enough answers. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted some kind of small dog that seemed similar to a pug running off with the scroll in its mouth as it ran towards Konoha.

"Come on Naruto. Time to go." Sakura called out while waving in his direction. He nodded and jogged up to join his team, in the background Naruko smiled a bit, her ruby red eyes having a slight glow to them as she vanished out of existence. Her presence never leaving her host's side.

 **In Konoha. Kushina's cell.**

Kushina sat in her cell, quietly humming 'You are my sunshine' to herself as she drew a picture of her child, he looked so handsome and the whisker marks simply added to his charm. Meeting him at last brought a feeling of closure to her heart, not to mention she successfully gave him the mark which would throw a huge wrench into the plans formed to manipulate the Prophecy. In Kushina's twisted mind, a Prophecy shouldn't be something to be ignored, but it also shouldn't be too invested in. Prophecy's had a funny way of being incomplete or more often misinterpreted.

She was broken from her musing as the sounds of her cell door swung open and she was yanked from her seat then roughly tossed to the floor. "Easy boys, I don't mind some rough stuff, but I'm more woman than you can handle." She joked with a chuckle making the Anbu guards glare down at her from behind their masks. To her, they were like an open book since it was easy to read their body language. She smirked when she sensed a familiar presence approaching.

"Hiruzen. Something I can do for you?" she asked with a snarky smile on her face, as the Sandaime appeared with the Anbu Neko following close behind him. A stern look was on his face as he chose to don his battle armor instead of his usual Hokage robes.

"Ohhhhh, that's a serious look you got there. Something happen?" she asked making an Anbu kick at her ribs. She grunted at the impact since more and more seals had been added since her meeting with Naruto to ensure she didn't commit suicide or try to escape.

"Several things. Graffitti, Mebuki Haruno being attacked, grave robbings. You're up to something. I still don't know how you communicate with your people, but I am getting answers out of you, one way or another." At the end of his statement the crimson haired woman began laughing maniacally making the Anbu step back nervously, even Hiruzen was still perturbed by this woman to this very day.

"Kami help me, you still make me laugh old man. That almost sounded like a threat you know... except it failed to intimidate me. You know why I was such an effective Kunoichi? Because I was willing to go all the way, I tortured and maimed people, burnt them alive, scalped them, castrated them, drowned them, strung them up, shoved huge wooden stakes up their asses, and other things that would keep you awake at night.

There was this one time, group of Kumo nin, bunch of macho masculine supremacist types that loved raping fertile females with blood lines. 'Extremists' being the term you politicians might use. Me and my unit tracked them and found them, caught them with their pants down, literally. I took my time. Slowly cutting them apart piece by piece, they begged and screamed for me to kill them. I refused their pleas, I just kept on cutting. Had our medic occasionally patch them up to keep them from bleeding out, or I just burned the wounds closed.

I wasn't going to kill them. That would've been a mercy. My goal was to utterly destroy their minds and send them back to the Sandaime Raikage, show him and all the Kumo rapists what happens when you take advantage of unwilling sexual participants. After that... the abuse and rape of POWs captured by Kumo came to a screeching halt. Then... well... after the Kyuubi attack, you stuck me in here and took a softened approach. And what happened? Little Hinata Hyuuga was taken, from her own clan compound no less, and a big scandal occurred that nearly killed Hiashi, and instead claimed his twin brother.

My point is, you're soft Hiruzen. You're not willing to take a hardcore stance against your enemies. I know that you've softened the Academy in recent years to let the Civilian kids have a better shot. Fuck that shit, I say. Make it harder for them! Make them actually fucking work for it! Hardworking Academy students make for more effective Shinobi. Now you have fangirls running around.

This could have all been avoided you know, you could have let me take the Hokage mantle, let me raise my boy in peace, maybe you might have restored my faith in Konoha and the Will of Fire, maybe I would have decided to bury my vendetta against Konoha. But no, you had to get all greedy and decide it was best to keep my boy on a leash and to leave me to rot in this cell. Unfortunately for you... I always have a contingency plan at the ready."

"If that were true, then you would have escaped long ago." Hiruzen spoke with a heated glare, although inwardly he had a pit forming in his stomach, he knew that she was undoubtedly up to something, she always was planning something for her own gain.

"I could have, but I was waiting on something. Execute order sixty-six." Kushina spoke with a malicious smile which sent a shiver down the Sandaime's spine, a look of confusion on his face as he wondered what that last line meant. The Hokage then felt an old and long-forgotten feeling... a feeling of pain via stabbing. He looked down and saw the blade of a katana protruding from his chest.

"See old man? This is loyalty. My disciples all waited patiently for years for my escape. And now... I am gonna take over this village. The Uchiha's tried pulling a coup, yes? You know how I would have stopped it? Get Mikoto and Itachi to testify and make a public statement about Fugaku's crimes then have him and all his co-conspirators publicly executed. That would have stopped the whole thing cold. You need to be willing to go all the way and do the hard things, hell, sometimes you need to trample on people to get shit done. And you? You're just an old fossil from a bygone era. You're in the way of progress. Guess I'm gonna be the first female Hokage after all, and I am gonna fix your messes. Toodles. Yugao?" at the crimson haired woman's order, Neko ripped her blade from the Sandaime's chest then proceeded to slaughter the other Anbu who, despite their immense training, didn't react in time.

As blood splashed across the cell, Hiruzen felt his body growing colder, Kushina standing over him while laughing at his failure to see Neko's betrayel coming. He had heard rumors of Kushina's secret disciples but he dismissed it as mere hearsay since no evidence had ever been found of her having disciples. He coughed up some blood and smiled bitterly, it seems like his sins have caught up to him at last. And Kushina was going to collect in blood.

He felt the end draw near as his vision blackened but then the sounds of returning footsteps snapped him back into the realm of the living, he barely had strength to look up and found his eyes staring at Kushina's feet. "I almost forgot two things. First, don't worry about Konoha, I'm not going to destroy it. At least not in the physical sense. You wanted to take all that mattered to me, so now I'll be taking all that matters to you and all the past Hokages. Just thought I'd make that clear. Secondly... I almost forgot to take a trophy!" She spoke in a demonic tone, grabbing a katana from one of the fallen Anbu and raised it overhead.

The last thing Hiruzen felt was cold steel cutting through his neck.

 **In Wave country.**

"Dobe... how did you beat those two missing nin earlier?" The irritated voice of Sasuke Uchiha asked since that question had been nagging at him for some time now. How was it the Dobe managed to beat them so effortlessly?

"Why? Does it bother you that you weren't in the spotlight?" Naruto asked in order to deflect the Uchiha's question, he wasn't about to explain the fact he was slowly changing into a demon. If he did, then the others may start asking questions he didn't have the answers to, or worse, Sasuke may demand the secrets to his power.

"Pfft. Ignore Uke-kun. He's just puffing his chest and trying to act all big to compensate for his underdeveloped penis." the form of Naruko whispered into her blonde charge's ear making the whiskered teen snicker, which didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"What's so damn funny Dobe?" Sasuke asked with a twitching eyebrow growing more annoyed by the second by the fact Naruto both outshined him and seemed to have gained an abnormal amount of strength in a short period of time.

"Ohhhh, was just thinking that maybe you always try to show off and act all cool because of you possibly having some size issues below the belt." Naruto quipped causing both Tazuna and Kakashi to snort in amusement trying to contain their laughter, Sakura felt the urge to punch the blonde... but opted not to when she saw that Sasuke's face was burning bright red in a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Was there some truth to the joke? If there was... then there was no wonder as to why he acted cold to anything that was a female.

The self-proclaimed avenger clenched his fist angrily, not liking the blonde's attitude or his sudden boost of strength and confidence. It was like the Dobe had changed since they had previously left the village, what was the secret behind his power? Back during the Genin exam he kept fumbling through it like an idiot... but now he was more confident and sure of himself and displayed some kind of newfound strength he didn't have before. It made the Uchiha burn in anger that he wasn't in possession of that power.

The blonde paused as his nose twitched and he felt a certain headache forming in his skull, followed by more hot and cold flashes, although they weren't as severe as before. Floating above him was his invisible counterpart who was busying herself with some kind of pipe, but instead of smoke coming out bubbles came out instead. She noticed that he was looking at her oddly and spoke "Seems that the changes are coming along nicely. Those feelings of hot and cold you're getting? Signs that your body is changing. Don't worry. They'll pass. The first round's the hardest anyway. And don't look now, but I don't think we're alone." She spoke, her crimson eyes lazily scanning the woods.

Naruto's nose twitched again as he caught certain scents. Blood, herbs, shaved ice, and some other scents he couldn't identify at this time. But it was coming from somewhere to the right-hand side of the group, pursing his lips for a brief moment he decided that this warranted investigating. "Hold up, gotta take a leak." the blonde off handedly announced before vanishing into the woods making his team stop to wait for him.

The blonde hopped up into the tree branches and began jumping from limb to limb, following the scent of whoever or whatever was following them. After a few moments, he spotted someone crouching in the bushes. From the looks of it, it seemed to be a young girl maybe a year or so older than himself holding some kind of Anbu mask with the mark of another village on it.

"Good luck Zabuza-sama. Stay safe." He heard her whisper beneath her breath, the name sounding almost familiar to the blonde for some reason. Seems like she and this 'Zabuza' person were planning on ambushing his team. Maybe he could capture her and keep her as a hostage to discourage her boss?

"Wait... where is the other one? He hasn't returned yet." She spoke to herself, which made the blonde realize she was catching onto the fact something wasn't right. It was do or die time now. He silently leapt down with a soft thump, then in a flash before the girl could even act, Naruto had already put his arms around her neck in a chokehold, cutting off her precious oxygen.

The girl tried to call for help, but no words escaped her throat. She quickly pulled out a bundle of Senbon in her hand and began stabbing at the blonde's arms to force him into releasing her, but they snapped off after the futile attempts to pierce his hardened skin. Growling in her throat, she braced her feet up against a tree and kicked HARD sending the blonde into another tree behind him in an effort to make him loosen his grip. However, this did little to affect him and instead made him squeeze harder around her throat.

She felt her lungs burning, screaming for oxygen, growing desperate she began flailing about, fighting him with every ounce of her strength to get him off her, but soon her body couldn't follow her commands. Her face starting shades of red, then blue, and finally a purple color since she couldn't suck in any air. Eventually her struggles quieted down, her kicking legs reduced to slow twitches as her eyes rolled into her head.

"Shhhhh. Just let go. It'll all be over soon. Just go for a little nap." Naruko spoke to the Kunoichi in a taunting manner, in spite of the fact she couldn't see or hear her. The blonde ignored his 'partners' antics and continued to choke his new prisoner into unconsciousness.

At last she became still and her hands fell to her sides, the blonde slowly loosened his grip to ensure she wasn't playing possum in case he needed to lock his arms again. Once he felt for sure she was out like a light, he released her from his grip. His enhanced hearing alerted him to the sounds of a heartbeat signaling she was still very much alive. Now he just needed something to tie her up with.

"Pause bouya. We have another problem." Naruko spoke while jabbing a thumb towards the direction of where the rest of Team Seven was. Upon inspection, the Jinchuuriki noticed that some guy with a large Zanbatou was holding Kakashi prisoner in some kind of bubble shaped prison made of water while his teammates were helpless before a clone.

"That must be Zabuza. The one this girl was whispering to herself about. From the sounds of it, she holds him in high regard... maybe we can use her as a hostage to get Sensei out?" Naruto spoke out loud to help himself think.

"I got a better idea." Spoke his counterpart then whispered her idea into his ears... despite that no one else could hear her. After a few brief moments, Naruto nodded in agreement and put their plan into action. In a few short moments the blonde emerged from the woods carrying the form of his prisoner, a Kunai held close to her throat.

"Lookie who I found!" Naruto announced, making all attention turn towards him. From inside his prison, Kakashi was relieved that nothing had happened to his blonde student when he went off into the woods. Even better, it seemed that Zabuza Momochi had a hidden accomplice and Naruto had captured her, now the status quo had changed.

"No fucking way. How did a runt like you capture Haku so easily?" The swordsman growled angrily, a vein bulging across his forehead as he felt the urge to cleave that brat in half for taking his 'tool' as a prisoner.

"Heh. Caught her off guard. Does it matter? Now release Kakashi-sensei or I'll cut her throat open!" The blonde shouted, pressing the tip of his Kunai into the girl's flesh. The Swordsman hesitated for a split second, but then smirked beneath his mask for a moment.

"You're bluffing kid. You don't have the stomach to do that." The Demon of Kiri spoke confidently making both Kakashi and the other Konoha Genin flinch visibly in horror, since the whiskered teen had no real experience in killing before.

"How would you know? Maybe I am pretending to be some idiot. Or maybe I might get 'nervous' and 'accidentally' kill her?" Naruto countered back, his face like stone making it near impossible to see if he was bluffing or being serious. The swordsman's eyes flicked to the boy's hand and found them to be perfectly steady, no signs of trembling whatsoever.

"You have practice I don't know about?" The Swordsman asked, now starting to feel a little threatened. He couldn't afford to lose something as precious as Haku, people of loyalty like hers weren't so easily found, much less replaced.

"I'll leave that for you to figure out." The blonde replied in a cryptic manner making the Swordsman smirk beneath his mask of bandages.

"Well Kakashi, that little Uchiha brat and the sniveling pinkette aren't worth my time. But that blonde one? He's got balls. He'll be going places in time." Zabuza spoke in amusement as he released the water prison surrounding the Copy nin. As soon as he was free, the silver haired Jonin rushed to safety, altough inside he was in disbelief that Naruto managed to make the swordsman agree into releasing him in exchange for his accomplice. It must have been someone pretty close to the Missing nin to make him comply.

"All right Gaki, hand Haku over to my water clone and we'll be done here." The swordsman spoke in a gruff manner, pointing to his Water clone which was now waiting with open arms for the girl.

The Copy nin was about to warn his student about doing that but was beaten to the punch when the blonde spoke "What? Only for you to attack us again when she's out of the way? Too bad for you... this is a Shadow clone." At the end of his sentence 'Haku' vanished in a puff of smoke revealing it to be the truth making Zabuza realize that he had just been tricked.

"I made another Clone to take her deeper into the woods, away from where you left her. If you want her back then I suggest you go get her right now." The Jinchuuriki spoke with a big grin that earned a heated glare from the ex-Kiri nin.

"This isn't over. As soon as I'm ready, I'll be hunting you all down. Starting with you Gaki. I won't forget this." Zabuza announced as he vanished in a blur of motion, vanishing into the woods of Kiri.

"Quick! Run before he gets back!" Naruto shouted and ran off leaving behind a dust cloud, his team and their client not far behind him since they didn't want to go for a second round with Demon of Kiri. After nearly an hour of non-stop running they all came to a stop to catch their breath, feeling confident that they would be safe for now.

"Quick thinking there on your part Naruto. Using a decoy to free me like that, and sending him off to chase after his partner too. Good strategy." The Copy nin spoke praisingly patting the blonde on the head for such good work. All of a sudden, the blonde found his neck now within Sakura's arms, the pinkette raining kisses on his cheek for his accomplishment.

"You really saved our bacon back there kid. But Zabuza will be back soon, and he'll be really mad after you duped him." Tazuna spoke in a warning tone, already aware that the assassin sent after him could return at any time.

"Luckily I have something for that." The blonde replied as he released himself from his teammate's grip then whistled Sharply. After a few moments, another Shadow clone of Naruto emerged, carrying the same girl he held 'hostage' earlier in a bridal carry.

"Sent another decoy with a clone of this girl. Haku, as Zabuza called her. I sent him on a wild goose chase and kept the real one to deter him." The whiskered teen announced making everyone gape at his genius... now they were the ones with a Hostage and Zabuza now had nothing. When the swordsman learns he had been duped twice over, would be a very humiliating and infuriating experience for him.

"Oi, anyone got any wire to tie her up with? Rope's no good. Wire is better since she can't chew through it." The blonde asked looking between them all, and as luck would have it Kakashi had some in case of a situation like this. Now they just had to hurry to Tazuna's home before their enemy has the chance to catch up with them.

 **Meanwhile.**

Danzo sighed as he walked up to the roof of the Hokage tower, his cane tapping against the stairs as he slowly climbed up, soon he came up upon the doorway to the outside and opened it allowing sunlight to wash over him. It was most unusual for his old rival to unexpectedly call him out for a meeting, but then strange occurences had been happening around the village.

This might even be a matter of village security. He looked around for the form of Hiruzen and found him dressed in his Hokage robes... seemingly occupying himself by playing minigolf. Most unusual as well since he hadn't known the Sandaime to play something like minigolf. Shrugging his shoulders he approached the Hokage, his cane making small tapping noises with each step. Though as he got closer... he felt a sense of deepening dread. Like the air around him was aware of his existence and was trying to snuff out his life.

Ignoring his uneasiness he only got closer until he announced in a somewhat rude manner "All right Hiruzen, I am here as you requested. What was so urget that you called me here for?" At the Elder's question the Hokage merely raised a finger telling him to wait, then gently used his club to tap one of the golf balls, sending it rolling along. Growing impatient, Danzo stepped even closer... then noticed the ball was rolling into the open mouth of Hiruzen's severed head.

His visible eye widened in shock as he looked back to the 'Hokage' in question... and gaped in horror when he saw the face of Kushina who was now wearing the Hokage robes. "That's Hokage-sama to you, Danzo. Long time no see, yeah? The last time I saw you, I promised that when I became Hokage, I would smash your head into pulp." She spoke and twirled her golf club like it was a baton.

After a few moments of silence, the red haired woman spoke "Cat got your tongue? Come on now, is it really that surprising that I am still alive and well? Or maybe you have grown so comfortable working within the shadows, that now you're up against someone who doesn't give a damn about 'Due process' you just realized you're now royally fucked six ways from sunday?" She asked him, referencing to the fact he was politically immune due to Hiruzen's style of leadership.

But against a beast like Kushina? She'd kill him, laugh about it, then brag about it to Konoha without a care. Of all the things in Kami's green earth, Kushina was perhaps the one Ninja that he truly feared. "You're just going to proclaim yourself as Hokage? Just like that? The Councils will never accept you." He muttered, trying to stall for time until he could release his sealed arm.

Then out of nowhere, Kushina's golf club struck him in his covered eye-socket crushing his hidden Uchiha eye, sending him sprawling to the ground. "Don't care. The Shinobi council will accept me in a heartbeat. The others don't even matter since I'll be terminating their precious seats of power. No more Civilians. No more Elders. No more Democracy. It'll be as it should always have been." She spoke then swung her club down on him again cracking his skull. Blood now dribbling from the side of his head.

"Shinobi, running a SHINOBI village obviously. With me as the one in charge of it all, and the Shinobi council serving as my advisors of course. The old ways are dead. The Will of Fire? Just an excuse to capitalize on Bloodlines." She spoke in a chilling voice and swung once again, hitting him in the jaw causing teeth to fly out.

"That prophecy nonsense the frogs spewed? Another cheap means for Konoha to gain more power. Note to self, burn the Frog summoning contract." She muttered to herself and brought her club down again across Danzo's scalp. Blood now filling his vision. His aged body defenceless against Kushina's merciless assault.

"What does Konoha even have? Leadership so overcome by greed and set in their ways, they can't even see the need for change. A 'spymaster' that writes cheap porn and bangs whores with his needle dick. A history of blood and betrayel left and right wherever you go. And it just doesn't end." She continued her rant then kicked Danzo over, exposing the seal he had on him. Then slapping her own Seal of canceling on his, to prevent it from going off.

"That all ends. Here's a fun-fact, we Uzumaki's can stay in our prime till we're one hundred years old. Good luck waiting for me to die of old age. Cuz Kushina fucking Uzumaki is here to stay, and she doesn't take shit from anybody." She finished and then brought her club down, again and again and again, the sounds of bone crunching and blood spattering could be heard. When she was finished, her golf club was now bent out of shape, what once was Danzo's head was now a puddle of blood and mushy brain matter along with some bits of bone. The fingers on his body still twitching.

"Kami that was good therapy. It really helps to just, you know, talk it out. Get it out of your system. Much obliged Danzo. Oh... and by the way? You're fired." She spoke and then tossed aside her broken golf club. Picking up a new one, she sighed and continued with her game. It would soon be a busy time to clean the slate and douse out the 'Will of Fire' but she wasn't just gonna make it die out... she was gonna piss all over its ashes.

"May as well enjoy myself while I can." she spoke to herself and then snapped her fingers causing a hooded figure to appear behind her who bowed to one knee.

"Yes, Kushina-sama?" her follower asked in a tone of respect, awaiting what ever orders the Red Death had to offer.

"Find my son. Aid him in whatever mission he is on, then bring him back here to me as soon as possible. I want him to meet his mother, his real mother. And see just how great a Kunoichi she is... and how important he is to her." The Evil Uzumaki spoke, causing her servant to vanish in a swirl of leaves, leaving the new Hokage to her own devices.

"I think I'll pose as Hiruzen for a little while. I'll dispose of Kizashi's pet council when Naruto-kun is here, so that he can see it all. I am sorry I wasn't there for you my precious Soch-kun, I never got to become the mother you needed... but I'll still be the Hokage you deserve. And I'll punish everyone that kept us apart." She spoke to herself and tapped on another golf ball, sighing in enjoyment of the cool breeze.

With that being said and done... Konoha was in for a very rude awakening.

 **End chapter two.**

 **A/N: Decided to end the chapter on this note since I felt it to be a decent stopping point, not to mention I didn't want to end up dragging my heels to try and make this longer than it needed to be. And I'm very sad to say, but next week I'll be much busier with my job due to the holidays which will leave me with little time to do any serious writing. So please be patient and I'll try and have something ready when I am able.**

 **Current Projects (No particular order):**

 **Garchu! Ch.2**

 **Spider Dance Ch.2**

 **Mother Dearest V2 (Rewrite) (Reason: I feel like that time travel bit ruined the flow for me.)**

 **History's Strongest Sensei Ch.3**

 **Romulus Rising (Remake of deleted fic.) *On Hold ***

 **Left Hand of the Shinigami Ch.2**

 **Naruto x Monster girls fic. (Monster girls summoning contract.)**


End file.
